|
Volvo Truck Australia has announced that driver airbags will be a
standard feature on all its new trucks. This addition represents a substantial
contribution to driver’s safety and comes in addition to an impressive list of
other safety devices that are standard on Volvo trucks.
Volvo’s Accident Research Team has conducted extensive tests that demonstrate
that airbags reduce injuries to a driver’s chest and head. Analysis of actual
crash sequences in 94 real-life accidents revealed that the deployment of
airbags mitigates the consequences of most frontal collisions.
Driver airbags, in conjunction with other safety features, including disc
brakes, EBS (Electronically Controlled Braking System), ABS (Antilock Braking
System), and FUPS (Front Underrun Protection System) are standard on Volvo
trucks.
Established in 1969, the Volvo Truck Accident Research Team has investigated
over 1,400 accidents to date. It pioneers design innovations, including cabs
made of high-strength steel, energy-absorbent, impact-friendly cab trim,
collapsible steering wheels, and, of course, three-point seat belts and standard
driver airbags. On this specific issue it is obvious that the single most
important contribution to safety derives from the use of the standard
three-point seat belt. Studies show that the use of seat belts would have
prevented or radically reduced injuries suffered by truck drivers in at least
60% of the accidents studied.
‘At Volvo we are firmly committed to the path on which the company embarked
way back in 1927,’ says Ken Cowell, Volvo Truck Australia’s, National Product
Strategy Manager. ‘And with every step we take on that path, our trucks become
safer for drivers and other road-users.’
‘The airbag is a safety complement to the seat belt, not a substitute for it’
continues Ken. ‘For the airbag to perform its function, drivers must wear their
seat belt’.
About Volvo Truck Australia
Volvo Truck Australia is a division of Volvo Commercial Vehicles Australia
Pty. Ltd. (VCVA). Established in 2004, VCVA is the legal entity representing
both the Mack and Volvo truck brands in Australia and is a wholly owned
subsidiary of the Volvo Group, a publicly held company headquartered in
Gothenburg, Sweden. With 2004 sales of approximately $37.5billion, Volvo’s
business areas include heavy trucks, buses, construction equipment, marine and
industrial drive systems, aerospace and financial services.
|
